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Thriving in Dallas, Ellis enjoys stops at Oracle

Rusty Simmons| on December 10, 2013

Photo: Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press

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Dallas Mavericks' Monta Ellis (11) looks to the basket as he works the perimeter against the Charlotte Bobcats in an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in Dallas. The Mavericks won 89-82. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The first time Monta Ellis emerged from the visitors' locker room at Oracle Arena to play against the only franchise he had ever known, he was in an emotional whirlwind.

When he trots onto the court in a Dallas uniform Wednesday night, he'll have his feelings in check.

"It's a different game," Ellis told a crowd of reporters after a practice Tuesday at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. "It doesn't really matter to me. I just come here and try to get a win for the team that I play for now. The first time I came back, it was emotional, because it was my first game playing after getting traded. I got traded to Milwaukee and then had to fly right back to Oakland to play my first game. It's something I had to do."

It couldn't have been more awkward. Ellis was traded to the Bucks in a multi-player deal that landed Andrew Bogut for Golden State on March 13, 2012; the teams then played each other at Oracle on March 16.

The Warriors presented Ellis with a tribute video, celebrating his dynamic scoring during his 6 1/2-year tenure. The fans stood and cheered him, because he was still considered one of their own.

After all, they had watched him grow from second-round pick out of high school into a married man with two children. They had watched him win the league's 2007 Most Improved Player award and go on to score buckets in bushels. They also stood by him as he went through a series of off-court problems.

"I had my years here - some good, some bad - but I always love coming back to see the fans. They're pretty much the best fans in the NBA," he said. "Everywhere I go, everywhere there is a Warriors fan, they all tell me that they miss me here. They stuck with me throughout everything."

Ellis made the decision to opt out of an $11 million deal in Milwaukee to test the free-agent market this summer and then signed a three-year deal with Dallas worth about $25 million. That may be a steal for the Mavs because Ellis is having a season viewed by many as his best.

The 28-year-old guard is averaging 21.5 points and 5.6 assists, but that's nothing new. This would be the fifth time in six seasons he's posted at least 20 and 5.

The improvements have come with taking better shots and knocking them down. He's making a career-high 37.3 percent of his three-point shots and he's getting to the free-throw line more, posting career-highs in free throws made (5.0) and percentage (84.1).

"He's still a young player, right at the beginning of his prime, so during the next two or three years, he has a chance to get better and better. He's one of our All-Stars. He's been that good for us."

Ellis could become the first Maverick not named Dirk Nowitzki to lead Dallas in scoring since Michael Finley in 1999-2000. Ellis also leads the team in steals and assists, and he seems to have a newfound understanding for the importance of his playmaking.

When he has at least five assists, the Mavericks are 11-1. When he has dished out at least 10 assists, the Mavericks are 3-0.

He offered one assist to his teammates even before Wednesday's game.

"It's going to be a wild, wild arena, so we've got to be prepared for it," he said.

Wednesday's game

Who: Warriors (12-10) vs. Mavericks (13-9)

Where: Oracle Arena

When: 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio: ESPN/CSNBA/680

Of note: The Warriors are reeling, having dropped seven of their past 11 games to fall into ninth place in the Western Conference. ... After playing a league-high 14 road games, the Warriors are about to start a stretch during which they'll play seven of nine games at home. ... Dallas has beaten the Warriors in 10 of the teams' past 14 meetings, including a 103-99 victory Nov. 27. ... The Mavericks have turned the ball over 12 or fewer times in four of their past five games. ... Dallas power forward Dirk Nowitzki has scored double digits in the fourth quarters of four of his past five games.

- Rusty Simmons

Take that

Ex-Warrior Monta Ellis is 4-0 against Golden State, but his individual numbers against the Warriors are better when he plays at Oracle Arena. Ellis has played against the Warriors three times as a Milwaukee Buck and once as a Dallas Maverick.